An Artistic Duo

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Thursday, July 6

A/N: I changed the Art Hall trip to two days instead of three.

I didn't know how this whole 'BFF' thing with Eli was working. Ever since we returned from the Art Hall, we hadn't really talked to each other. We'd somehow made an agreement to avoid each other at all costs without ever talking to each other. But today, we had classes, and there was no avoiding that.

I told my friends to start walking to the School without me, making up a random excuse, simply because I didn't want to go. Pretending to actually like Eli was going to be one of the hardest things that I'd ever have to do. Sure, it's not like I had to be candy sweet to him all the time, but we just couldn't let our little arguments spiral out of control.

I sighed and got off of my bed, throwing my sketchbook down. I couldn't hide forever. I grabbed my shoes and walked out of my cabin, making it to the classroom just as the bell was ringing.

"Hi," I said to Eli as I slid into the seat next to him.

"Hey," he said.

Bailey went on to explain that today we were going to finally do some partner work instead of individual. She passed out huge pieces of sketch paper; one per partnership.

"Now," she said. "I want you both to work together and sketch something abstract. It's a sketch so it doesn't have to be amazing, but I want the both of you to figure out your strength and weaknesses, and use these to your advantages. Please don't just throw something together, think of it as a very detailed sketch."

As she finished explaining, Eli and I stayed silent, staring down at our blank piece of paper, as if it were the most magnificent thing in the world.

"So, can you go get the pencils?" I finally asked.

He looked at me. "I'm not gonna become your slave just because we have a friendship agreement," he said with finality.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on," I said. "Friends do things like this for each other. Plus it would be really stupid for both of us to go and get the pencils when we can easily have one person do it," I said.

"Then why don't you do it?" He asked.

"Because-" I started, trying so hard not to get annoyed, but it was not working

"You know what, fine, I'll get them, but only to avoid a fight," he said and started towards the supply table.

"If you had just done that in the first place," I mumbled under my breath. I saw him give me the finger behind his back.

When he returned, he layed out all the colored pencils on the table then turned to me. "What do you want to draw?" He asked.

I shrugged. "You?"

"Well, I'm feeling very nature loving today." He said and scratched his head, shifting the place of the beanie on his head. It was now crooked and off center.

"Um, you thinking fire or water or something?" I asked him. He looked at me, and I looked at him, then we both stated, "Fire."

I picked up the orange and he picked up the red. I got started on the bottom of the paper while he started at the top.

"I hope I stink," he said as he reached over me, his armpit right over my head.

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you such a bastard?" I asked him, rhetorically, of course. There was no answer to why Eli was a bastard.